Gryffindor's heir is who?
by Ebony Starstorm
Summary: Matthias Gryffindor has been missing for a long time. With all his sisters murdered by Voldemort, he is the last. But who is he? Rated for language content and mature terms
1. Matthias

A/N Not mine, I'd love it if they were, but their not, so, se la vie.

Voldemort has been killing Heirs, now the last of them is in mortal danger. He's a teacher, at **Hogwarts**! Guess who!

Prologue

It was quiet; all was still around the solitary figure, his dark hair shining in the moonlight. It was safe, he let the disguise he wore all day, every day slip away. Beyond the mask luminous eyes looked out at the world.

With a sigh he let the mask drop also. He was a tall man, with an almost perfect physique, very dark, almost jet hair and eyes of deep silver.

He had had enough. The stares, the ridicule that was pointed at him every day, through the scarred, damaged face he wore. Even before the 'damage' (more illusion) was 'sustained' people had always thought him ugly; he could let them believe nothing else. If anyone ever guessed who he really was, he would be in deep, deep trouble.

He had persuaded the hat to put him, the youngest Gryffindor, in Slytherin. It had been an experiment, and one that he would never repeat. He couldn't. Everything he ever did was viewed as an experiment. But now, now he could be himself. Now he could be what, and who, he was born to be.

Matthias Gryffindor rode again.

Chapter 1

"So," Voldemort hissed, the last Gryffindor is…"

"Dead, My Lord, we killed her."

"Then, I am the last of the four; I can claim the ultimate power."

"Yes, My Lord, you can."

"So, _list_ the dead Gryffindors Malfoy."

"Dina, Darrell, Jade and Emma, My Lord."

"Is that all of them."

"I believe so, My Lord."

"Excellent! Now I can get on with my plan, oh and by the way Lucius, Crucio!""

Moody paced around the circular entrance hall to 12 Grimald Place. Ever since Dumbledore had announced Emma Gryffindor's death he had been pacing, thinking. Finally, something inside him broke. He started swearing, fluently.

"Dumbledore" he snapped after a moment, "This just makes it even more imperative to find Matthias. We need him; he is now the last Gryffindor."

"Alistair" Dumbledore started in a weary voice, "I've been over this before, Matthias is dead and even if he wasn't, no-one could force him to come back. We already tried, after all."

"Maybe we didn't try hard enough Albus!"

"Alistair, that's enough. Matthias is dead. I saw the body!"

Severus Snape walked in at that precise moment. He had been injured in a clash with Aurors a month ago and now had livid, jagged scars, visual reminders, running down the length of his face. He arrived just in time to hear Dumbledore's last words.

"What body?" he asked curiously. The whole room jumped. Looks of hatred were fired his way as several shaken members righted themselves from their positions on the floor.

"Matthias Gryffindor's body; Severus"

"Albus, with all due respect..."  
"Yes Severus?"

"I need to speak with you alone"

"Is it to do with Voldemort?" At Dumbledore's last word, most of the room shuddered.

"Yes, it is."

Once they were alone, Albus sat down.

"What is it, Severus, what's he done now?"

"I found out why he's been slaughtering Gryffindors, Albus"

"Yes, I already know, he wishes to become all-powerful."

"Yes, he does but, how do you know everything?"

"I can read minds without being detected. All except a part of yours, I've never been able to."

"What bit?"

"The bit governing identity, Severus, if that is your real name."

"Albus, I need to ask you something"

"Fire away."

"Why did you lie to them, you didn't see his body, you couldn't have done" As though realising what he'd just said, he paled.

"And why couldn't I have done?" Dumbledore asked a gentle, understanding smile on his face.

"Because, oh Gods this is difficult, because, oh I'll just show you." A cold mist surrounded him, and when it cleared, someone totally different stood in his place.

After a minute or so of goldfish impressions, Albus pulled himself together enough to say, in a shaky voice,

"Well, as I said before, it's your choice, Matthias; you can come out, or continue the way you're doing at the moment."

"Sir, they don't need to know."

"Well if that is your choice, Matthias, I can't change it, no matter how much I'd like to."

"Sir, can I stay here a while, I want to mourn for my sister."

"Granted, Matthias, Silencio"

Chapter 2

A shaken Dumbledore apperated into the centre of the room, one look at his face and you'd be running for miles. An almost visible thundercloud was roiling above his head and the incessant twinkling in his eyes had dimmed as with unshed tears.

"Albus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he snapped.

"Albus…"

"Leave it." Remus advised carefully, Sev hadn't told him had he? Albus was definitely as shaken as he had been after he had been shown the truth behind Severus' Slytherin façade.

"I… learned something in there. Voldemort wants ultimate power, that's why he's annihilated the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff bloodlines and almost destroyed the Gryffindors, Alistair, you were right, Matthias is still alive."

All hell broke loose, people were shouting and stamping, Tonks was doing a little victory dance. Finally it calmed down enough for Alistair to voice the question everyone had been waiting for.

"Who is he Albus, is he one of us, or… not?"

"I can't tell, you Alistair, I promised I wouldn't."

"What, to your no-good Death Eater pet?"

Something in Dumbledore's face arrested any further derogatory comments.

"Bloody hell, he isn't?"

"His choice, Moody, no-one else's"

A/N

Snigger Matthias Gryffindor Severus Snape, Snigger. Oh well, just another barmy story

R&R, and no that doesn't stand for rest and relaxation, it stands for read and review!


	2. Council

A/N

This is the real second chapter. The other was a tester for another story. Sorry!

Chapter 3

All was quiet in the room containing Matthias Gryffindor. Beyond the silencing charm you could see that he had created a visual image of his sister Emma. There were four of these pads; each of which contained one of the four. His head was bowed in sorrow. He was so wrapped up that he failed to discern a single quiet tread until the man whispered the counter-spell. Remus Lupin looked at Matthias with amusement; he had never seen him so openly display his emotions.

"Matt," he said softly. Matthias jumped violently.

"Remus, don't do that."

"Sorry, just seeing what you were doing."

"It's pretty obvious, stop being obtuse."

"Matt, stop that, I know you can win in a battle of words, that isn't what I came for. Albus asked me to tell you something. They know."

Matthias froze. His mind raced furiously, looking for a way out. There wasn't one.

"How do they know, did you tell them… or did Albus?"

"They… guessed, Mad-Eye anyway."

"Great, so… now what"

"Your choice, we can obliviate them or…"

"No, don't… Obliviate charms can go wrong…"

"Have you ever seen one go wrong?" Remus asked curiously. Matthias paled.

"Let's just say I've had personal experience and leave it at that!"

"Oh, Matt, why don't you say something when things happen?"

"I can't, either way they wouldn't believe me. Slytherin's are liars and Gryffindor's are too damn brave."

"Matt, it's alright"

"I've decided something… I can't hide anymore. I am who I am, and I can't change it. I'm Matthias Gryffindor, and I'm not hiding anymore."


	3. Introduction

Chapter 4

The first day of term loomed on the horizon. The teachers were going about their lives as usual, but this was to change. Dumbledore had called a staff meeting to announce the new teachers.

"The new Potions teacher…"

"What happened to Snape?"

"I repeat: the new potions teacher is Lucius Malfoy!"

"What, Dumbledore, you can't!"

"To continue, the new Astronomy professor is Remus Lupin, and the new DADA teacher is Matthias Gryffindor! That is all."

The hall was a riot as the Sorting finished and the last student took her seat at the Hufflepuff table. There were three new faces at the teachers table. Lucius Malfoy looked imperiously out over the students, Remus Lupin was chatting animatedly to his neighbor, Sybill Trelawney and the third figure was reading. All any of the students saw was a dark head, buried in a book. Ron took one glance at the teachers table and rolled his eyes.

"Harry, look at the staff a sec, isn't the one buried in a book a perfect match for Hermione?"

Harry looked at the teachers, then whispered back,

"Yeah, right Ron, whatever you say."

"I have three new teachers to announce. Your new potions professor is Lucius Malfoy."

Mass groaning broke out at this, the Gryffindors were outraged, Neville looked ready to wet himself.

"Your new Astronomy professor is Remus Lupin, who the older students already know, and the new DADA teacher…" Dumbledore broke off, after a spate of urgent conversation, the third figure rose.

"Hey, it, he, said in a hesitant voice, I'm Matt, just call me that, and we'll get along fine."


End file.
